Infonetics: Wireless LAN Access Point ASPs on the Rise, Sparked by
802.11ac

About as many 802.11ac access points shipped in the first quarter of 2014 as did in all of 2013, and Infonetics expects 802.11ac to drive revenue growth in the WLAN equipment market over the coming quarters. (Graphic: Infonetics Research)

Download

About as many 802.11ac access points shipped in the first quarter of 2014 as did in all of 2013, and Infonetics expects 802.11ac to drive revenue growth in the WLAN equipment market over the coming quarters. (Graphic: Infonetics Research)

“While WLAN growth slowed last quarter, pricing across all access point
types rose for the first time in three quarters. This is an emerging
positive sign that 802.11ac is slowly starting to change the trajectory
of the market and will drive renewed revenue growth over the coming
quarters,” notes Matthias
Machowinski, directing analyst for enterprise networks and video at Infonetics
Research.

WLAN MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

The global wireless LAN equipment market saw its first down quarter
since the end of 2012, with revenue shrinking 10.8% sequentially in
1Q14, to $1.1 billion

The market is up 3.3% from the same period a year ago

For the full year, the WLAN equipment market grew 11% to $4.47 billion
worldwide in 2013

About as many 802.11ac access points shipped in the first quarter of
2014 as did in all of 2013 (just under 300,000)

After a multi-year decline, independent access points have finally
found a bottom and are now outpacing interactive access points

Ruckus turned in the highest growth rate among the top tier
WLAN vendors, up a third year-over-year in 1Q14

WiFi phones are off to a bad start in 2014, with revenue down 15%
sequentially

Infonetics expects WLAN growth to accelerate in the coming quarters as
infrastructure investments continue to favor WLAN to support more
wireless devices, BYOD, and mobility, and as companies upgrade their
networks to the latest technology

Infonetics Research (www.infonetics.com)
is an international market research and consulting firm serving the
communications industry since 1990. A leader in defining and tracking
emerging and established technologies in all world regions, Infonetics
helps clients plan, strategize, and compete effectively. View
Infonetics’ About Us slides at http://bit.ly/QUrbrV.